“Meet the Beast”, can we read on his campaign bus. The American John Cox, Republican candidate for governor of California, organized a meeting on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 in Sacramento, with Tag, a 500 kilo brown bear. Not necessarily to the liking of certain animal protection associations which denounce the use of animals.
“Pretty politicians failed in California. We need big, bestial changes to save her. I’m going to cut taxes, make California more affordable and shake up Sacramento, “John Cox said at his meeting, with Tag in the background, placid, munching on some treats. The animal is a kodiak bear, considered the largest species of bear. The bear being the symbol of California (present on the state flag), the candidate uses it as a figure of “the beast” to face the current Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom.
The use of the bear for political and advertising purposes has been heavily criticized by animal rights activists, like the organization PETA which considered “unfortunate and shameful that Tag the kodiak bear was exploited in this way”. “Bears must be left in peace, not held in an enclosure on asphalt and transported to events, “reacted the NGO on Twitter, urging” anyone with an ounce of decency to leave wild animals out of their advertising operations. “
